Ellis Burks In New Britain Saturday After his induction into the Red Sox Hall of Fame on Friday at Fenway Park, Ellis Burks will be at New Britain Stadium on Saturday as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of the Rock Cats. Burks will be available for a special meet-and-greet before the game as part of a publicly available ticket package benefiting the New Britain-Berlin YMCA. Afterward, Burks will throw out a ceremonial first pitch, spend an inning on the Rock Cats live broadcast on Fox Sports Radio 1410 AM and sign autographs on the main concourse for fans from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Burks used New Britain as a training ground before he began his 18-year major league career.

Ellis Burks In New Britain Saturday After his induction into the Red Sox Hall of Fame on Friday at Fenway Park, Ellis Burks will be at New Britain Stadium on Saturday as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of the Rock Cats. Burks will be available for a special meet-and-greet before the game as part of a publicly available ticket package benefiting the New Britain-Berlin YMCA. Afterward, Burks will throw out a ceremonial first pitch, spend an inning on the Rock Cats live broadcast on Fox Sports Radio 1410 AM and sign autographs on the main concourse for fans from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Burks used New Britain as a training ground before he began his 18-year major league career.

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia will become the first Red Sox rookie position player to start Opening Day since 2001, and the first at second base since Doug Griffin in 1971. A look at the most recent Red Sox Opening Day rookie position players: C: Scott Hatteberg, 1997 1B: Cecil Cooper, 1974 (Split time with Carl Yastrzemski) 2B: Doug Griffin, 1971 (In 1984, Marty Barrett took over the position May 3.) SS: Nomar Garciaparra, 1997 3B: Shea Hillenbrand, 2001 LF: Jim Rice, 1975 CF: Fred Lynn, 1975 (In 1987, Ellis Burks took over position April 30.)

36 runs combined: Ties the most in an AL game (Red Sox's 22-14 victory over the A's, June 29, 1950, at Philadelphia). Rangers' 17 runs: A season high for Texas and the most in a loss since the Marlins lost to the Rockies 18-17 July 4. Red Sox' 19 runs: A season high for Boston and its most since a 25-8 victory over the Marlins on June 27, 2003, at Fenway. Red Sox's 10-0 lead lost: Matches the largest Red Sox lead blown in team history (Red Sox led Blue Jays 10-0 after six innings on June 4, 1989, and wound up losing 13-11 in 12 innings)

36 runs combined: Ties the most in an AL game (Red Sox's 22-14 victory over the A's, June 29, 1950, at Philadelphia). Rangers' 17 runs: A season high for Texas and the most in a loss since the Marlins lost to the Rockies 18-17 July 4. Red Sox' 19 runs: A season high for Boston and its most since a 25-8 victory over the Marlins on June 27, 2003, at Fenway. Red Sox's 10-0 lead lost: Matches the largest Red Sox lead blown in team history (Red Sox led Blue Jays 10-0 after six innings on June 4, 1989, and wound up losing 13-11 in 12 innings)

C This is the time of the season when rosters expand, but in the Yankees' case it is shrinking. Third baseman Pat Kelly was unavailable for Sunday night's game against the Red Sox and pitcher Scott Kamieniecki left for home. Kelly is suffering from a lower back strain and back spasms. X-rays did not show anything unusual, but the third baseman is in considerable discomfort and is not likely to return to the lineup for several days. Kelly felt a pulling in his lower back while making a throw to first base to retire Wade Boggs on the first play of Saturday's game, won by the Yankees, 3-1. Manager Stump Merrill started Randy Velarde at third Sunday night and also can use outfielder Mike Humphreys there.

It was clear from the looks on their faces, from their voices. A 5-4 loss to the Brewers Sunday left the Red Sox resigned to the fact that, barring a miracle, they're playing for second place. That point was driven home when manager Joe Morgan said he would not start Roger Clemens tonight on three days' rest as he probably would have if the Red Sox had won Sunday. Instead, Greg Harris (11-12, 3.70 ERA) will start against Dan Plesac (2-7, 3.63). "I didn't particularly want to pitch Clemens on three days' rest anyway," Morgan said.

Though he hasn't given up, first baseman/outfielder David McCarty's attempt to make the team as a pitcher appears to have stalled. "Physically I think he just feels like he's been hit by a truck," manager Terry Francona said. "He goes to play right field and his arm is not feeling real good and his lead arm hitting is weak. And then he goes to pitch and he doesn't have a lot of life. I think this has been a great experience. He thinks there's still something there. So we want to honor that."

Terry Francona became the first Red Sox manager to hold his pregame briefing in a weight room while sitting on a leg machine. Francona was admittedly anxious to start Sunday's game. "I shouldn't have got here at 12:30 [p.m.]," Francona said. "That was a mistake." For the next six months, his life will be much different. "Sleep, as I knew it, is done," Francona said. "That's the way it goes. I woke up this morning and I was just right in the middle of an inning. " Francona expected his anxiety to go away as soon as the game started.

BOSTON -- Although the Red Sox are characterizing Ellis Burks' sore knees as "no major problem," Burks said Tuesday the injury to one might be significantly more serious than the Red Sox believe. Burks underwent a magnetic resonance imaging Monday at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. Team owner/ physician Arthur Pappas said in a prepared statement Burks had "no major problems in either knee ... he has inflammation below the kneecaps which will be treated with periodic rest and icing."

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia will become the first Red Sox rookie position player to start Opening Day since 2001, and the first at second base since Doug Griffin in 1971. A look at the most recent Red Sox Opening Day rookie position players: C: Scott Hatteberg, 1997 1B: Cecil Cooper, 1974 (Split time with Carl Yastrzemski) 2B: Doug Griffin, 1971 (In 1984, Marty Barrett took over the position May 3.) SS: Nomar Garciaparra, 1997 3B: Shea Hillenbrand, 2001 LF: Jim Rice, 1975 CF: Fred Lynn, 1975 (In 1987, Ellis Burks took over position April 30.)

From a historical standpoint, left field is the position synonymous with Red Sox players who are Hall of Famers (Williams, Yaz) and All-Stars (Rice, Ramirez). But the team has had some pretty good center fielders over the years. 1907-15 Tris Speaker Regarded as the best center fielder in baseball when he played, Speaker formed the Red Sox legendary outfield with Duffy Lewis and Harry Hooper. Speaker won the American League MVP in 1912 to help the Red Sox win the World Series and was a key player on the 1915 team that won it all. Known as "The Grey Eagle," Speaker holds the team record for triples in a season with 22, a mark he established in 1913, and his 106 three-baggers with the Red Sox are second to Hooper's 130. He hit .383 in 1912, the third-highest batting average in club history behind Ted Williams, who holds the top two spots (.406 in '41 and .388 in '57)

Derek Lowe said his World Series ring felt heavy. His heart felt heavy, too. Lowe will be remembered in Boston for three starts last October -- the beginning and end of the American League Championship Series comeback against the Yankees and the World Series clincher. No surprise that Lowe received one of the loudest ovations Monday at the Red Sox World Series ring ceremony. But Lowe is not a Red Sox anymore. His Game 4 victory over the Cardinals on Oct. 27 was his last appearance in a Boston uniform after seven years.

Ellis Burks could barely run, but there was nothing wrong with his bat speed. Playing what is likely the final game of his career, Burks went 1-for-2 with an RBI single Saturday at Camden Yards and became the 200th player to appear in 2,000 games. Burks received a nice ovation from the crowd. "The response was great," he said. "It seemed like we were at Fenway. We had over 40,000 fans here and it had to be half [Red Sox fans]. I thought that was really good." Burks, batting fifth as the DH in the first game, got both at-bats in the second inning when the Red Sox scored six runs.

From the first time he put on a baseball uniform, determination has been one of Trot Nixon's traits. It probably had something to do with his will to come back. A month ago, Nixon's season was in jeopardy as he continued to recover from a strained left quad. His role was undetermined when he returned this month. After missing 102 games with leg and back injuries, Nixon is making the most of his abbreviated season. He went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs Sunday in an 11-4 victory over the Yankees.

After losing the last two games of the weekend series at Yankee Stadium by a combined score of 25-5, the Red Sox hoped to use Thursday's game against the Baltimore Orioles as a positive sendoff for their next Yankees series. But the Red Sox lost 9-7 to the Orioles. The Red Sox trail the Yankees by 4 1/2 games with 10 to play. "No statements," Kevin Millar said. "It's too late in the season for making statements." Sweeping the Yankees looks essential for any hope of still winning the AL East.

C The Red Sox spent much of Thursday trying to smooth out the troubled waters created by Matt Young's verbal shots at infielders Luis Rivera and Jody Reed after Wednesday night's loss to the Tigers. Young, who criticized the infielders -- particularly Rivera -- for playing out of position, was called in for a meeting with manager Joe Morgan and later talked things over with Rivera at the batting cage. "I told him I didn't want him talking about other players on the team in the newspaper," Morgan said.

This couldn't have been what baseball's founding fathers envisioned when they first drew up the game. They probably had something a little tidier in mind. But then again, they never saw the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners, who basically wild-pitched the Red Sox to victory Tuesday night, took their act to a new level Wednesday night when they handed the Red Sox a 6-4 victory with bad defense and even worse relief pitching. "I enjoy those types of games," said winner Roger Clemens (6-3, 1.70 ERA)

Ellis Burks started his career as a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 1983. He will end his career in a Red Sox uniform. Burks was activated from DL Thursday after missing 133 games with two surgeries on his left knee, and announced he would retire after this season. "No, I'm not coming back," he said. Burks, 40, said the condition of his knee made the decision easier. "You can't play forever," said Burks, whose rookie year was '87 with the Red Sox. "As much as I'd like to, you tend to realize it's time you have to let it go and leave it up to the younger guys."

With the Yankees arriving Friday and the playoffs around the bend, the Red Sox need bullpen stability. But as they wake up this morning, the team's closer is slumping. Keith Foulke has blown two saves in a row, allowing homers to Javy Lopez Tuesday and Rafael Palmeiro Wednesday. The good news for the Red Sox is Foulke's failures have not deflated the team. They came back to win both games and no one seems concerned about the closer. "He doesn't blow many saves," reliever Curtis Leskanic said.